Tonight’s League of Ireland games to be delayed due to referee protests
This weekend's fixtures will be impacted by a referee protest. Photo: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
League of Ireland officials are planning to delay the start of this weekend's fixtures by five minutes due to issues with pay.
The FAI learned earlier today of a protest scheduled to kick in for tonight's fixtures, and they do not have the power to stop it if the officials follow through on their intentions.
There has been tensions between match officials and Abbotstown in recent years due to various changes in terms and conditions.
In 2020, there was a walkout at the national seminar on account of simmering tensions in the background with refs unhappy that they had to pay from their own pocket for new equipment a year previously.
Ahead of the 2023 campaign, there was a switch to make refs and assistant referees contracted employees which was a significant development and impacted on their take-home pay from refereeing – there has been a noticeable drop-off of established names from the panel across a number of years and questions raised about the processes for bringing through new faces.
Ian Stokes, the League of Ireland's referees manager, handed in his notice earlier this year with league director Mark Scanlon stating that Stokes was 'heading off to a new venture’.
